A Chinese farmer holds hybrid maize kernels of the Yunrui 88 variety, developed by the Yunnan Academy of Agricultural Sciences (YAAS), Yunnan Province, China, using CIMMYT and local germplasm. It is high-yielding, resistant to important diseases, and drought tolerant, and farmers report that the ears can be stored for longer and are better for animal feed. It was released in 2009 and is now the most popular hybrid in the area. CIMMYT has a strong and healthy collaboration with YAAS, an important part of the center’s growing relationship with China.

Photo credit: Michelle DeFreese/CIMMYT.

For more about CIMMYT and China, see CIMMYT’s blog story at: http://blog.cimmyt.org/?p=6188.